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Chariz's avatar

I'm constantly thinking about this, specially when it comes to fine dining and Filipino food. There's a beloved Kusina in Philly that is near and dear to my heart, but as a person who doesn't make that much money, I can't really financially support on a weekly basis lol

I hear from family members and some friends that they feel a little priced out, and there's a level of understanding their opinions but also wanting to be proud that a place exists where the food and the culture is celebrated...vs another quick carenderia type feel that most first generation Titas and Titos feel comfortable going to or opening.

Sorry if I'm rambling, as a mom of two under 5, talking and typing this much is new to me.

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Lisa Angulo Reid's avatar

This is a great piece, and it opens the door to even more important questions.

At Dear Flor, we're very intentional about how we operate as a company. We believe that a humble gummy can be an ambassador for Filipino people and culture, and that belief shapes everything we do, from business decisions to product development and marketing. We don’t have a formal charitable arm, but we actively support many community and cultural organizations like FANHS, NAAFA, and House of Gongs that primarily serve Filipino Americans across the U.S. What this looks like in practice: we don’t just donate. We show up.

I did want to tackle this question: Do you feel like prices for a U.S. market make a Filipino product any less “authentic”?

I don't believe so. When we launched Dear Flor in California's licensed dispensary market, we stood by our pricing, which was on par with the market leaders, Camino and Wyld. We refused to take a haircut because doing so would only reinforce the idea that Filipino products are worth less. We stood by our pricing, and within six weeks, our gummies became one of the top three selling gummy brands in the dispensaries we entered.

That’s not an exception. It’s part of a broader trend. Filipino-owned brands like Sanzo sparkling water are positioned at a premium compared to Spindrift and other leading sparkling water brands.

Beyond Sanzo in the CPG space, you have folks like Daniel Corpuz, Kora, and Elle Karayan building unapologetically premium brands because they’re built with care, quality, and culture. Each of these brands raises the bar for how Filipino products can be valued in the U.S. market. And this is important because if we're going to create generational wealth and cultural influence for our community, we have to start demanding that our product be priced in line with the market.

Authenticity doesn’t mean undervaluing ourselves. It means knowing what we’re worth and owning it.

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